Jay Atkinson wants to protect students from intruders and active shooters. With his invention, patent pending, he believes he found a way to do it.

Atkinson, who works as a maintenance man at Thomas Jefferson High School, invented the AUXLOC. It’s a device used to lock a classroom door from the inside, without relying on the door to be locked by a key. With this, Atkinson says an intruder cannot open the door.

It’s a lever-activated device that is placed near the bottom of the door, inside the classroom. A teacher or student can kick the lever down to engage the lock.

“My goal is to have one in every classroom and make everyone safe,” Atkinson said.

The idea came to him after the Sandy Hook massacre. “I was just sitting there thinking this could happen to anyone.”

The device, Atkinson says, is patented in China. It is patent pending in the U.S. It is not in any schools yet because he just started marketing the device for a second time. Atkinson has worked on perfecting the device for two years. At first, the cost was $160. He has since found a different manufacturer and markets the AUXLOC for $80.

He said administrators and law enforcement would be provided with a patented unlocking device to be used from the outside. Of course, students can unlock the door from the inside by lifting the lever, but an access key from the outside is needed in the event of an active shooter and officials needing to access the room.

Atkinson has a trailer designed around a classroom door that he uses to demonstrate the AUXLOC to schools and law enforcement.

Elizabeth Borough K-9 officer and law enforcement instructor Garrett Kimmell says the device should be in every school classroom:

“One of the most taught techniques nationwide for an active shooter situation is run, hide and as a last resort, fight. An active shooter situation is a fight for your life. I instruct students and staff to use whatever they can and do whatever they need to do to survive. They first need to try and escape and get away from the shooter, but that isn't always possible. If they can't escape, students need to be quiet and hide. The problem with hiding is if found, you’re forced to fight.

“The AUXLOC invented by Jay Atkinson of West Elizabeth stops the active shooter from entering the classroom. The AUXLOC, when installed on classroom doors, provides the safest place for a student to hide. The door is locked with a specialized lock from the outside. Even if a window is broken on the door, it cannot be forced opened, thus providing a safe haven until officers arrive.

“Active shootings are rapidly moving. The AUXLOC brings the shooter to a near halt. One of the goals of AUXLOC is once the shooter realizes he can't access the room, he moves on. If all the rooms have AUXLOC installed it slows the shooter, protects the kids and allows the first arriving officers to quickly locate and stop the shooter.

“I've been instructing law enforcement officers and civilians for 15 years. The AUXLOC is by far one of the best designed and cost-effective safeguards a school district can purchase to help protect our children. Think of the AUXLOC as you would a fire alarm, fire extinguisher or sprinkler in a school. You very rarely need them, but they are there if you do.

“There have been far more children killed in school shootings than in school fires over the last 50 years, yet no one ever wants to spend money on what's killing our kids. The AUXLOC is the active shooter protection system that should be in all schools, just like a fire extinguisher."